JP2005073012A - Device and method for recording stereoscopic image, and device and method for displaying stereoscopic image - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform parallax amount adjustment matching the intention of the first user that performs parallax amount adjustment regardless of the type of a display on which a stereoscopic image is displayed. <P>SOLUTION: The user uses a user inputting part 101 to input data for parallax amount adjustment of a stereoscopic image to be displayed. A parallax amount adjustment information preparing part 102 converts the inputted data for parallax amount adjustment into parallax amount adjustment information and outputs the parallax amount adjustment information to a stereoscopic image processing part 100. Also, a parallax amount adjustment information recording part 103 records the parallax amount adjustment information in a file and a memory. When the parallax amount adjustment information is inputted in generating image data for stereoscopic vision, the stereoscopic image processing part 100 uses the parallax amount adjustment information to generate image data for stereoscopic vision, and a display part 104 displays the image data for stereoscopic vision. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a stereoscopic image recording apparatus, a stereoscopic image recording method, a stereoscopic image display apparatus, and a stereoscopic image display method for recording and displaying data for stereoscopic display of a plurality of images corresponding to a plurality of viewpoints.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a stereoscopic image display method capable of viewing a stereoscopic image by stereoscopically viewing a set of images having parallax. For example, left-eye and right-eye images are alternately output to the display device, and the user reproduces the images through glasses that can switch the shutter in synchronization with the switching timing of the display. Can be observed.

  Further, as a method of reproducing a stereoscopic image without using special glasses or the like, there is a method called a parallax barrier method. Each of the image for the left eye and the image for the right eye is decomposed into strips in the vertical scanning direction of the image, and alternately arranged to form one image. The display device that displays the image has a strip-like slit similar to the case where the image is decomposed. The strip-shaped image data is observed by a display device through a slit. When the image for the left eye arranged in a strip shape by the polarizing plate is reproduced with the left eye of the user and the image for the right eye is reproduced with the right eye, a stereoscopic effect can be obtained. There is also a method called a lenticular method using a lenticular lens instead of a slit.

  A technique for changing the stereoscopic effect of a reproduced image in order for a user to view a better stereoscopic image is disclosed. When a human observes an object in three dimensions, different images are observed with the left and right eyes, and these images have a shift called parallax. A human recognizes a three-dimensional feeling by this parallax. The amount of parallax is called the amount of parallax, and the stereoscopic effect is adjusted by adjusting the amount of parallax. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for recording parallax amount adjustment information in a file or memory so that the parallax amount once adjusted by the user can be reproduced.

In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-325618, the amount of parallax is adjusted so that the user can most easily view a stereoscopic image, and the coordinates of a position where the amount of parallax becomes 0 after adjustment of the amount of parallax (hereinafter, this position is referred to as a cross point) Record to file or memory. The stereoscopic image display device can reproduce a stereoscopic image having a parallax amount adjusted by the user by reading the coordinates of cross points recorded in a file or memory.
JP 2001-325618 A

  However, the display used to adjust the amount of parallax is a display with a different pixel pitch (distance between adjacent pixels). When the amount of parallax is adjusted using the coordinates of the crosspoint, the amount of parallax is adjusted first. The parallax amount adjustment that does not match the user's intention is made.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a stereoscopic image recording apparatus, a stereoscopic image recording method, and a stereoscopic image recording method capable of performing a parallax amount adjustment that suits the intention of the user who first performed the parallax amount adjustment regardless of the type of display for displaying the stereoscopic image. A stereoscopic image display device and a stereoscopic image display method are provided.

  The present invention is a stereoscopic image recording apparatus that records a stereoscopic image composed of a plurality of images corresponding to a plurality of viewpoints, and generates parallax amount adjustment information based on a parallax amount change request. An information creation unit, and a parallax amount adjustment information recording unit that converts and records information related to adjustment of the parallax amount into information expressed in units independent of the type of display for displaying a stereoscopic image, To do.

  In addition, the present invention is a stereoscopic image recording method for recording a stereoscopic image composed of a plurality of images corresponding to a plurality of viewpoints, and a parallax for creating information related to adjustment of a parallax amount based on a change request for the parallax amount A quantity adjustment information creating step, and a parallax quantity adjustment information recording step for converting and recording information related to the adjustment of the parallax quantity into information expressed in units independent of the type of display for displaying a stereoscopic image. It is characterized by.

  In addition, the present invention is a stereoscopic image display device that displays a stereoscopic image composed of a plurality of images corresponding to a plurality of viewpoints, and the amount of parallax expressed in units independent of the type of display that displays the stereoscopic image From the information read by the parallax amount adjustment information reading unit that reads information on the adjustment of the image and the information read by the parallax amount adjustment information reading unit, information on adjustment of the parallax amount expressed in units depending on the display that displays the stereoscopic image is created A stereoscopic image display device comprising: a parallax amount adjustment information creation unit; and an image processing unit that generates a stereoscopic display image based on information created by the parallax amount adjustment information creation unit.

  The present invention is a stereoscopic image display method for displaying a stereoscopic image composed of a plurality of images corresponding to a plurality of viewpoints, and information relating to adjustment of the amount of parallax expressed in units independent of a display that displays the stereoscopic image From the information read by the parallax amount adjustment information reading step and the information read by the parallax amount adjustment information reading step, and the parallax amount for creating information related to the adjustment of the parallax amount expressed in units depending on the type of display for displaying the stereoscopic image An adjustment information generating step; and an image processing step of generating an image for stereoscopic display based on the information generated by the parallax amount adjustment information generating step.

  Here, the information related to the adjustment of the parallax amount is a horizontal parallax shift amount of the right-eye image data and the left-eye image data.

  According to the present invention, by recording an appropriate shift vector for each image data that can be stereoscopically displayed (hereinafter referred to as stereoscopic image data), the same stereoscopic image data can be viewed. Can save the trouble of adjusting the amount of parallax again.

  In addition, according to the present invention, a stereoscopic image having a different stereoscopic effect can be displayed by adjusting the amount of parallax without recreating the right-eye image data and the left-eye image data used to create stereoscopic image data. can do.

  In addition, according to the present invention, the parallax amount adjusted by the user is converted into a parallax amount expressed in a unit independent of the display that displays the stereoscopic image, and is recorded. Regardless, the amount of parallax can be adjusted in accordance with the intention of the user who first adjusted the amount of parallax. For example, even when a stereoscopic image is transmitted to an unspecified number of people via broadcast waves or the Internet, regardless of the type of display that receives and displays the stereoscopic image, the user who first adjusted the parallax amount Matching parallax amount adjustment can be performed.

  In this specification, each of the RGB data of the three primary colors is referred to as a dot, and a group of the RGB data of the three primary colors is referred to as a pixel. In the present embodiment, the image data includes a moving image and a still image. Furthermore, the image data includes compressed image data using still image compression technology such as JPEG and moving image compression technology such as MPEG-4.

<First Embodiment>
A stereoscopic image recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the stereoscopic image recording apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the stereoscopic image recording apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a stereoscopic image processing unit 100 that performs image processing for generating stereoscopic image data based on input image data, and a user that inputs the user. Generated by the input unit 101, the parallax amount adjustment information creating unit 102 that creates parallax amount adjustment information based on user input, the parallax amount adjustment information recording unit 103 that records parallax amount adjustment information, and the stereoscopic image processing unit 100 The display unit 104 displays the processed image.

  Next, the operation of each unit will be described. The left-eye image data and right-eye image data input to the stereoscopic image recording device are first converted into stereoscopic display data in the stereoscopic image processing unit 100. For example, if a stereoscopic image is displayed by a parallax barrier method or a lenticular method, the stereoscopic image processing unit 100 is for stereoscopic viewing in which left-eye image data and right-eye image data are alternately arranged in a strip shape. Generate image data.

  The user inputs parallax amount adjustment data of a stereoscopic image to be displayed through the user input unit 101. The input parallax adjustment data is converted into parallax adjustment information by the parallax adjustment information creation unit 102 and output to the stereoscopic image processing unit 100. In addition, the parallax adjustment information recording unit 103 records parallax adjustment information in a file or memory. In the stereoscopic image processing unit 100, when the parallax amount adjustment information is input when generating the stereoscopic image data, the stereoscopic image data is generated using the parallax amount adjustment information, and the display unit 104 displays the stereoscopic image data. Is displayed.

  In the stereoscopic image recording apparatus according to the present embodiment, the format of the stereoscopic image data displayed on the display unit 104 is the left and right images represented by the parallax barrier method and the lenticular method for each image data of one pixel. This is a method of performing stereoscopic viewing by alternately arranging strips. Assume that the input image is image data including stereoscopically viewable data, and the image data to be stereoscopically viewed on the display unit 104 handles left eye image data and right eye image data arranged in a strip shape. The input image data only needs to be able to generate strip-shaped data in the stereoscopic image processing unit 100. For example, the input image data may be image data originally synthesized in a strip shape. In this case, the stereoscopic image processing unit 100 outputs the input data as it is without creating a strip-like image again.

  Or the image data of the format from which each image data for left eyes and right eyes were isolate | separated may be sufficient. In this case, the stereoscopic image processing unit 100 creates a strip-shaped image from the left-eye image data and the right-eye image data, as will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating an example of generating stereoscopic image data from left-eye image data and right-eye image data. Pixels reproduced by the same slit when stereoscopically viewing the strip-shaped data are obtained from the left-eye image data 201 and the right-eye image data 202 in FIG. Image data 200 is generated. By repeating this process, it is possible to generate stereoscopic image data having a strip width of one pixel.

  When the strip-shaped stereoscopic image data 200 is created by such a method, the width of the strip-shaped stereoscopic image data 200 is the width of each of the left-eye image data 201 and the right-eye image data 202. Is equal to the combined width. Therefore, in order to create data that can be displayed by the display unit 104, the image data 201 for the left eye and the image data 202 for the right eye are made to have an image width that is half that of the generated strip-shaped stereoscopic image data 200. It is necessary to keep. When the image widths of the left-eye image data 201 and the right-eye image data 202 are the same as the display width of the display unit 104, the left-eye image data 201 is generated when the strip-shaped image data is generated. The striped image data is generated after the data is thinned out so that the image width between the image data 202 and the right-eye image data 202 is halved.

  FIG. 2B shows an example of a method for creating strip data by thinning data from input image data. As shown in FIG. 2B, from the pixels of the image of the left eye image data and the right eye image data, two dots of R data 207 and B data 208 from the left eye image data 201 out of the three RGB primary colors. And one RGB pattern 203 is generated by taking only one dot of the G data 209 from the right-eye image data 202. This process is performed alternately for each image (a pattern in which two data are taken from the left-eye image data 201 and one data is taken from the right-eye image data 202, and one data from the left-eye image data 201). ) And repeating the pattern of taking two pieces of data from the right-eye image data 202, the stereoscopic image data 200 is created. The stereoscopic image processing unit 100 shown in FIG. 1 compares the number of pixels of each input image with the number of pixels that can be displayed, determines whether or not the input image is thinned to generate a strip-shaped image, and the strip-shaped image Generate data.

  Next, a recording method in which the user adjusts the parallax amount and records the parallax amount adjustment information will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the user adjusts the amount of parallax using the user input unit 101 of FIG. 1 (step 1000). The user input unit 101 may have any shape and method such as an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse, or a remote controller. For example, a method of adjusting the parallax amount by an amount proportional to the number of times the key is pressed in the specific direction by pressing a key for designating a specific direction of the keyboard at least once is also conceivable. There is also a method of directly inputting the adjustment amount of the parallax amount as a numerical value. Data input by the user input unit 101 is converted into parallax amount adjustment information in the parallax amount adjustment information creating unit 102 (step 1001). For example, it is converted into specific information such as “move the right-eye image data leftward by one pixel”. The parallax amount adjustment information creation unit 102 outputs the created parallax amount adjustment information to the stereoscopic image processing unit 100.

  The stereoscopic image processing unit 100 generates strip-shaped image data and performs a parallax amount adjustment process using the parallax amount adjustment information (step 1002). The progress of the parallax amount adjustment process will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. In FIG. 3, a block denoted by reference numeral 301 or the like indicates data for one pixel, and L and R are codes indicating left-eye image data and right-eye image data, respectively. The numbers given below L or R indicate pixel numbers, which are given for convenience of explanation, and the pixel numbers are given in order from the left end of each image data. Reference numeral 301 indicates the leftmost pixel of the left-eye image data. Reference numeral 304 in FIG. 3 and reference numeral 403 in FIG. 4 indicate the width of the display area in which the display unit displays each image data.

  Further, when a stereoscopic image is observed using a lenticular lens, a parallax barrier, or the like, pixels observed through the same slit (for example, pixels indicated by reference numerals 1100 and 1101 in FIG. 11) are used as a stereoscopic image. Pairs to be reproduced are shown corresponding to the upper and lower sides as indicated by reference numerals 302 and 303 in FIG.

  FIG. 4 shows pixels when the user's adjustment by the parallax amount adjustment information creation unit 102 moves, for example, the left-eye image data to the right by one pixel and corresponding pixel data. When the display position of the image data is moved and displayed as it is, there is no pixel data to be displayed as shown by the position of the pixel 401 in FIG. 4 (indicated by a broken line), and the pixel data indicated by reference numeral 402 in FIG. As described above, pixel data that cannot be displayed because it protrudes from the display area 403 is generated.

  The case where the movement of the image for adjusting the parallax amount described above is a unit of one pixel has been described. In this case, depending on the size of the image data and the size of the display unit 104, the adjustment accuracy may be too rough. It can be considered that a human being recognizes an image as recognizing RGB as a set of data when each dot of the RGB three primary color data constituting each pixel forms an image on the eye. Therefore, for example, even if the arrangement of RGB is changed to GRB, these may be recognized as a group by the human eye. FIG. 5 is a representation of the image data for the left eye in FIG. 3 at the RGB dot level. In order to recognize the image data of L3 (pixel 302 in FIG. 3), L-R3 (dot 501 in FIG. 5), L-G3 (dot 502 in FIG. 5), L-B3 (dot 503 in FIG. 5) It is sufficient if the three dots can be recognized as a group. That is, it is possible to move at the dot level of the three primary color data RGB.

  The state at this time is shown in FIG. FIG. 6 focuses on the image data for the left eye in FIG. 5, and FIG. 6 (A) is in the same state as FIG. Reference numeral 604 denotes a display area in which the display unit displays left-eye image data. FIG. 6B shows a state where the pixel has been moved by one pixel (FIG. 4). FIG. 6C shows a state where the dot level has moved by one dot. The shaded portion indicates that dot data is missing due to the movement of the image data for the left eye. FIG. 6C focuses on the dots in the R data of the left-eye image data (reference numeral 601 in FIG. 6A). L-R1 is changed to L-R2, L-R2 is changed to L-R3, L It is a figure which shows the state which moved R data to the position of -R3 to -R4.

  Even if the data is moved in this way, as shown in FIG. 6C, the arrangement of the pixels composed of the original RGB does not change. The movement amount of the image by this movement method is smaller than the movement of one pixel unit (603 in FIG. 6B), as shown by reference numeral 602 in FIG. Become. Therefore, it is possible to adjust the amount of parallax finer than when moving in units of data for one pixel.

  In the example of parallax amount adjustment in FIGS. 4 and 6, the left-eye image data is moved for parallax amount adjustment, but the relative positional relationship between the left-eye image data and the right-eye image data is the same. If so, either image data may be moved. For example, instead of moving the left-eye image data to the right by one pixel, the right-eye image data may be moved to the left by one pixel. Further, the left-eye image data is moved by 1/3 pixel (1 dot) to the right and the right-eye image data is moved by 2/3 pixel (2 dots) to the left. The data and the right-eye image data may be linked to move together. If only one of the left and right image data is moved, the center of the stereoscopic image observed by the user will also shift in the moving direction, but if both image data are moved, the shift of the center of the stereoscopic image will be minimized. Thus, the amount of parallax can be adjusted.

  FIG. 7 shows how the pop-out amount and the depth amount change by adjusting the parallax amount. FIG. 7A shows a state in which the pixel L1 having the left-eye image data and the pixel R1 having the right-eye image data form an image on the display. FIG. 7B shows a state in which the pixel R1 is moved leftward by shifting the right-eye image data leftward from the state shown in FIG. 7A. In this state, the pixel L1 and the pixel R1 form an image at the position S1, and the image appears to be at a position in front of the display surface. FIG. 7C shows a state in which the pixel R1 is moved rightward by shifting the right-eye image data rightward from the state shown in FIG. 7A. In this state, the pixel L1 and the pixel R1 form an image at the position S2, and the image appears to be at a position behind the display surface.

  When the parallax amount adjustment is performed as described above and the user determines that a stereoscopic image having an appropriate stereoscopic effect is displayed (step 1003), the parallax amount adjustment information can be recorded in a file or memory. When a plurality of stereoscopic images are repeatedly displayed, if the parallax adjustment operation is performed again each time, the processing becomes complicated for the user. To remember.

  Hereinafter, the parallax amount adjustment information is referred to as a shift vector. This shift vector is, for example, a vector indicated by reference numeral 603 in FIG. When the size of this shift vector is expressed in terms of the number of pixels, the size of the shift vector also changes when the pixel pitch (distance between adjacent pixels) of the display that observes the stereoscopic image changes. The appearance (such as the jump distance) will change.

  FIG. 13 illustrates an example in which the jumping distance changes depending on the pixel pitch of the display. FIG. 13A shows a state in which the parallax adjustment is performed by shifting the image data for the left eye by three pixels in the right direction from the state of FIG. By this adjustment, the position of the image connecting the pixel L1 and the pixel R1 becomes the position S3. In the conventional method, as the information on the parallax amount adjustment to be recorded in the file or the memory, the shift amount in units of pixels is recorded as in the information “moving the left-eye image data by three pixels in the right direction”. . FIG. 13B is a display having a pixel pitch different from that used in FIG. 13A, and is “moving left-eye image data by three pixels to the right” recorded in FIG. 13A. This is a state in which the amount of parallax is adjusted based on the information. In this state, the position of the image connecting the pixel L1 and the pixel R1 is the position S3 ′, and the pop-out distance is different from the position S3 in FIG.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the shift vector expressed in relative units such as the number of pixels is set to mm or the like so that the parallax amount intended by the user who adjusted the parallax amount can be adjusted even if the display type is changed. It is converted into an absolute unit independent of the display type and recorded (step 1004, step 1005). Here, the relative unit refers to a unit used to indicate a relative length with respect to another length such as the number of pixels, the number of dots, the number of lines, and the like. The absolute unit refers to a unit used for indicating a physical length such as mm, cm, or inch.

Here, an example of conversion from a relative unit shift vector to an absolute unit shift vector will be described. As described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, the parallax amount is adjusted in units of images or dots. In the following example, the parallax amount is adjusted in units of pixels. When the parallax amount adjusted in step 1002 is A (pixel) and the pixel pitch of the display used for parallax amount adjustment is P (mm / pixel), the absolute unit shift vector B (mm) is expressed by the following equation (1). ).
B = A × P (1)

The pixel pitch P (mm / pixel) of the display is expressed by the following formula (2) by the horizontal width W (mm) of the display and the number of pixels N (pixels) in the horizontal direction of the display.
P = W / N (2)

  In the above example, the absolute unit shift vector is obtained using the pixel pitch, but the absolute unit shift vector may be obtained using the dot pitch instead of the pixel pitch. Even if the amount of parallax is adjusted in units of dots, a shift vector in absolute units can be obtained by performing the same process as described above.

  When the shift vector is recorded, the state where the parallax amount is not adjusted by the user is set to 0, the movement of the specific image in the specific direction is set to +, and the movement in the opposite direction is set to-, and the signed value May be recorded in one field, or the moving direction of the image and the absolute value of the shift vector may be recorded as separate fields. Further, when the user designates the amount of parallax adjustment in absolute units in step 1000, the adjustment amount designated by the user may be recorded as it is.

  Next, an example of an area for recording a shift vector is shown. In the present embodiment, an area for recording a shift vector is provided in the stereoscopic image data. Usually, the image data is provided with an area for storing information for managing the size and reproduction time of the image.

  FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams illustrating examples of the data structure of image data. As shown in FIG. 8A, stereoscopic image data records, for example, a management information area for managing image information such as reproduction time and image size, left-eye image data, and right-eye image data, respectively. And an image data area. The image information 800 describes information about the entire image such as the size of the image and the playback time if it is a moving image. The right-eye and left-eye image data information 801 and 802 are used for decoding each image data. Necessary information (for example, information such as MPEG-4 technology being used as an encoding technology) is described.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8B, an area 803 for recording information for stereoscopic image data including a shift vector (hereinafter referred to as stereoscopic information) is provided in this management information area.

  When recording stereoscopic information, a header indicating the presence of stereoscopic information is necessary so that the apparatus can correctly read the information. For this purpose, an area for recording the stereoscopic image identification information 804 is provided at the head of the stereoscopic information 803. The stereoscopic image identification information 804 indicates the presence of stereoscopic information and indicates that subsequent image data is stereoscopic image data. The stereoscopic image identification information 804 may be a flag encoded with a fixed-length or variable-length code, but may be, for example, a specific symbol string or character string as long as it can be identified. In addition, a shift vector is recorded in the stereoscopic control information 805, but any information other than the shift vector may be recorded as long as it is information for controlling the stereoscopic vision. For example, the viewable time for limiting long-term stereoscopic viewing may be recorded together.

  Although the case where the stereoscopic control information is recorded in the management information area attached to the image data has been described as an example, the stereoscopic control information may be recorded in a predetermined memory included in the recording device. For example, stereoscopic control information such as a shift vector may be recorded in association with the file name together with information for identifying the stereoscopic image data by attaching file names such as contents A, B, and C to the memory. .

  In the above description, the example in which the stereoscopic information is recorded at only one place at the top of the image file is shown. However, as long as extraction is possible, it may be recorded in any area of the image file, or may be recorded in the image data. For example, when an image is encoded by MPEG-4, the image data includes encoded data and information (header information) for decoding the encoded data. This header information is provided with an area (user area) that the user can freely use, and stereoscopic image identification information and stereoscopic control information may be recorded in this user area. A plurality of stereoscopic information may exist in the image data. Thereby, for example, the parallax amount can be changed in the middle of the image data. Further, the image data for the left eye and the image data for the right eye may be integrated into one image data and recorded in the image data area.

  In the above description, the example in which the conversion from the relative unit shift vector to the absolute unit shift vector is performed by the parallax amount adjustment information recording unit 103 has been described, but this process may be performed by the parallax amount adjustment information creation unit 102.

  As described above, the stereoscopic image recording apparatus according to the present embodiment records the shift vector for obtaining the optimal stereoscopic effect for each stereoscopic image, thereby adjusting the parallax amount again when viewing the same stereoscopic image. It is possible to save time and record an appropriate shift vector for each stereoscopic image.

  Further, in the present embodiment, stereoscopic image data having a different stereoscopic effect by adjusting the amount of parallax without recreating the right-eye image data and the left-eye image data used for creating the stereoscopic image data. Can be created.

  In this embodiment, an example in which the shift vector is recorded in a file or a memory has been described. However, for example, when a stereoscopic image is transmitted via a broadcast wave or the Internet, the shift vector is a stereoscopic view that is a target of parallax amount adjustment. You may transmit as data linked | related with the image data for work.

<Second Embodiment>
Hereinafter, a stereoscopic image display apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Here, it is assumed that the stereoscopic information shown in FIG. 8 is recorded in the image data. FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a stereoscopic image display apparatus that displays stereoscopic image data to which stereoscopic information is added according to the present embodiment. The stereoscopic image display apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a user input unit 900 that is input by a user, a parallax amount adjustment information reading unit 901 that reads parallax amount adjustment information recorded in a file or a memory, and a parallax amount adjustment of a stereoscopic image. A parallax adjustment information creating unit 902 that creates information, a stereoscopic image processing unit 903 that performs image processing for generating stereoscopic image data, and a display unit 904 that displays an image generated by the stereoscopic image processing unit 903. Consists of.

  Next, the operation of each unit will be described. The user input unit 900, the stereoscopic image processing unit 903, and the display unit 904 operate in the same manner as the user input unit 101, the stereoscopic image processing unit 100, and the display unit 104 in FIG. The stereoscopic information reading unit 901 reads stereoscopic image identification information included in the stereoscopic image data. When the stereoscopic image identification information confirms that the image is a stereoscopic image, the stereoscopic information reading unit 901 reads the stereoscopic information (such as a shift vector), and decodes the stereoscopic information when it is encoded. To do. If there is a shift vector in the stereoscopic information, the shift vector is output to the parallax adjustment information creation unit 902. The parallax amount adjustment information creation unit 902 creates parallax amount adjustment information using the shift vector input from the stereoscopic information reading unit 901 and the parallax amount adjustment data input from the user input unit 900. When the parallax amount is not adjusted by the user input, the parallax amount adjustment information is created only from the shift vector. The stereoscopic image processing unit 903 generates stereoscopic image data using the parallax amount adjustment information, and the display unit 104 displays the stereoscopic image data.

Next, a display method for reading a shift vector, performing a parallax amount adjustment process, and displaying a stereoscopic image will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the stereoscopic information reading unit 901 reads a shift vector recorded in a file or a memory and outputs it to the parallax amount adjustment information creation unit 902 (step 1200). This shift vector is expressed in absolute units such as mm. As described in the first embodiment, since the parallax amount adjustment is performed using relative units such as the number of pixels and the number of dots, the parallax amount adjustment information creating unit 902 converts the absolute unit shift vector into the relative unit shift vector. (Step 1201). As described in the first embodiment, the amount of parallax is adjusted in units of images or dots, but an example in which the amount of parallax is adjusted in units of pixels will be described below. When the absolute unit shift vector is C (mm) and the pixel pitch of the display of the display device is Q (mm / pixel), the relative unit shift vector D (pixel) is expressed by the following equation (3).
D = C / Q (3)

  In addition, the display pixel pitch Q (mm / pixel) can be obtained in the same manner as Expression (2) in the first embodiment. In the above formula, the relative unit shift vector is obtained using the pixel pitch, but the relative unit shift vector may be obtained using the dot pitch instead of the pixel pitch. In addition, when the shift vector D (pixel) obtained by the expression (3) includes a number after the decimal point, all the numbers after the decimal point are rounded down or rounded up, or the value at the first decimal place is rounded off. Thus, the shift vector D may be an integer value, or the shift vector may be obtained in dot units with 1/3 pixel as one dot. Even if the shift vector is recorded in units of dots, the shift vector in the relative unit can be obtained by performing the same process as the above method.

  The shift vector converted into the relative unit is output to the stereoscopic image processing unit 903. The stereoscopic image processing unit 903 creates stereoscopic image data from the relative unit shift vector and the input image data, and displays them on the display unit 904 (step 1202).

  If the stereoscopic image in which the parallax amount is reproduced by the shift vector does not meet the user's preference, the parallax amount is further adjusted by the input from the user, similarly to Step 1000 to Step 1003 in FIG. 10 of the first embodiment. You may go.

  In addition, when performing a scaling conversion such as enlarging or reducing an image on a stereoscopic image whose parallax amount has been adjusted by reading a shift vector, the parallax amount in absolute units before the scaling conversion and after the scaling conversion The parallax amount adjustment processing may be performed so that the absolute unit parallax amount is the same.

  The stereoscopic image display apparatus according to the present embodiment can display a stereoscopic image in which the amount of parallax is adjusted by using a shift vector, but can also display a stereoscopic image in which the amount of parallax is not adjusted. Whether or not to adjust the parallax amount by the shift vector may be set in the stereoscopic image display device in advance, or may be selected by the user when displaying the stereoscopic image.

  In the present embodiment, the example in which the conversion from the absolute unit shift vector to the relative unit shift vector is performed by the parallax amount adjustment information creation unit 902 has been described. However, this processing may be performed by the stereoscopic information reading unit 901. .

  As described above, the stereoscopic image display apparatus according to the present embodiment stores the adjustments made by the user during the previous reproduction as stereoscopic information when the user repeatedly reproduces the same stereoscopic image data. By using the stereoscopic information at the time of reproduction, reproduction can be performed in the same manner as at the time of the previous reproduction without taking the trouble of adjusting the amount of parallax at each reproduction.

  In addition, by adjusting the amount of parallax based on the shift vector in absolute units, the amount of parallax adjusted according to the intention of the user who first adjusted the amount of parallax is adjusted regardless of the type of display on which the stereoscopic image is displayed. be able to. For example, the parallax amount was adjusted first regardless of the type of display on the receiving side even when transmitting a stereoscopic image to an unspecified number of different displays that display stereoscopic images using broadcast waves or the Internet. The parallax amount adjustment intended by the user can be performed.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a stereoscopic image recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example which produces | generates the image data for stereoscopic vision from the image data for left eyes, and the image data for right eyes. It is a figure which shows the example of the pixel corresponding to the image data for left eyes and the image data for right eyes at the time of stereoscopic vision. It is a figure which shows the example of a movement of the image at the time of adjusting parallax amount. It is a figure which shows the correspondence example of the dot data of RGB3 primary colors, and a pixel. It is a figure which shows the example which moves 1 dot among the dot data of RGB 3 primary colors, when moving an image. It is a figure which shows conversion of the protrusion amount and depth amount which are obtained by moving an image. It is a figure which shows the example of the storage method of the stereoscopic vision control information for performing a stereoscopic vision. It is a block diagram which shows the three-dimensional image display apparatus in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart figure which shows the three-dimensional image recording method in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example which an observer observes a stereo image using a parallax barrier. It is a flowchart figure which shows the three-dimensional image display method in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example from which the pop-out amount of a stereo image changes with the difference in the pixel pitch of a display.

Explanation of symbols

100 stereoscopic image processing unit 101 user input unit 102 parallax amount adjustment information creation unit 103 parallax amount adjustment information recording unit 104 display unit

Claims (8)

A stereoscopic image recording apparatus for recording a stereoscopic image composed of a plurality of images corresponding to a plurality of viewpoints,
A parallax amount adjustment information creating unit that creates information related to the adjustment of the parallax amount based on the change request of the parallax amount;
A parallax amount adjustment information recording unit that converts and records information related to adjustment of the parallax amount into information expressed in units independent of the type of display that displays a stereoscopic image; and
A stereoscopic image recording apparatus comprising:   The stereoscopic image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information related to the adjustment of the parallax amount is a horizontal parallax shift amount between the right-eye image data and the left-eye image data. A stereoscopic image recording method for recording a stereoscopic image composed of a plurality of images corresponding to a plurality of viewpoints,
A parallax amount adjustment information creating step for creating information on adjustment of the parallax amount based on a change request of the parallax amount;
Parallax amount adjustment information recording step for converting and recording information related to adjustment of the parallax amount into information expressed in units independent of the type of display for displaying a stereoscopic image;
A stereoscopic image recording method characterized by comprising:   5. The stereoscopic image recording method according to claim 4, wherein the information related to the adjustment of the parallax amount is a horizontal parallax shift amount between the image data for the right eye and the image data for the left eye. A stereoscopic image display device that displays a stereoscopic image composed of a plurality of images corresponding to a plurality of viewpoints,
A parallax amount adjustment information reading unit that reads information about adjustment of the parallax amount expressed in units that do not depend on the type of display for displaying a stereoscopic image;
A parallax amount adjustment information creating unit that creates information on adjustment of the parallax amount expressed in units dependent on a display that displays a stereoscopic image from the information read by the parallax amount adjustment information reading unit;
An image processing unit for generating an image for stereoscopic display based on the information created by the parallax amount adjustment information creating unit;
A stereoscopic image display device characterized by comprising:   The stereoscopic image display apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the information related to the adjustment of the parallax amount is a parallax shift amount in the horizontal direction between the image data for the right eye and the image data for the left eye. A stereoscopic image display method for displaying a stereoscopic image composed of a plurality of images corresponding to a plurality of viewpoints,
A parallax amount adjustment information reading step for reading information relating to adjustment of the parallax amount expressed in units independent of a display for displaying a stereoscopic image;
A parallax amount adjustment information creating step for creating, from the information read by the parallax amount adjustment information reading step, information relating to adjustment of the parallax amount expressed in units depending on the type of display for displaying a stereoscopic image;
An image processing step for generating an image for stereoscopic display based on the information created by the parallax amount adjustment information creating step;
A stereoscopic image display method characterized by comprising:   The stereoscopic image display method according to claim 7, wherein the information related to the adjustment of the parallax amount is a horizontal parallax shift amount between the image data for the right eye and the image data for the left eye.

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